Mila Kunis

And also, this: “I don’t regret anything I’ve ever done. Even the dumbest sh*t I’ve done in my life — and believe me, I’ve done some really dumb sh*t — I don’t regret doing it. I’m not talking about projects, but just the stupid things that a kid does, that a teenager does, that a person in their twenties does. I did everything. I was never a bad kid, but I did things that weren’t necessarily good, or smart decisions. But I did learn from them.”

We’ve come to equate those “void” spaces with failure (see Fact 3), and how can we not? We grew up seeing shows and movies where Finding Yourself — while a recurring and successful pop culture theme — wasn’t really interpreted in such a peachy light. That teen who just wanted a little more time was frowned upon by overbearing parents, and success was measured in large, corner offices and mansions and lavish things. It’s utterly aspirational.

But how about before we want everything, when we want nothing in particular first? Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere was just really the icing on the epiphany cake. You basically see this guy, Johnny Marco, who has essentially everything and has gotten somewhere, but is unequivocally empty. And after that I thought: “I never want to have to feel that, ever.”

I know it’s just so convenient for me to say that you should take your time because I’m in a stable place, but give me the benefit of the doubt on this one. Do some dumb sh*t from time to time, and make wrong judgment calls, because you’ll never be as free as you are now. It’s a scary, pivotal point in our lives, but dream and hang in there inconclusively a little longer. These times demand us to make something out of ourselves in haste, and so, slowing down — it can be your last act of adolescent defiance.

Choose to make yourself feel alive. Even if that means you go overboard, even if it means you’ll spend too much (I’m a firm believer in investing in experiences, because you can’t take money to your grave). And soon, something will come into focus from obscurity, and you’ll decide to do something that’ll make you pull a Mila Kunis — on both quote counts.

Life is short, but it doesn’t always mean you’re running out of time.

http://www.philstar.com/youngstar/ysarticle.aspx?articleId=701409&publicationSubCategoryId=84